A blog discussing what is available for foreigners in Korea (mostly Seoul) from a cinephile's perspective. I'll also include a running diary of films I see here in the theatres and on DVD as well.

Friday, 6 March 2009

Review of 2008

Now that I have caught up with most of the major releases of last year, I thought I'd rank the 28 films I saw last year. I didn't think I had seen much this year, but I'm only 7 off of last year's total, and I'm sure I'll see more of 2008 over the next few months.

I have to agree that this was a subpar year, especially the top ten. My favorite film remains Night and Day, which I saw at the Jeonju festival back in May. There were only 3 films that I thought were 5 or 4 1/2 stars, which to me are films that are masterpieces or near to it. Lots of solid movies of varying quality, but little that was really inspiring.

These rankings tend to be pretty generous. Basically, anything I enjoy I give 3 stars even if it's not great filmmaking, and if I really enjoyed it I give 4 stars, again, even if the filmmaking isn't masterful.

The films are ranked in order, even within the star ratings. My Top Ten for 2008 (and other years) will continue to mutate as I see more films.

5 comments:

Hey, still haven't seen your #1! No idea when it'll happen either. I'm counting Flight of the Red Balloon and Paranoid Park as 07 releases otherwise they would top my 2008 list. Anyway, here's my top 5 films for 2008. Maybe you can catch up with them later.

Yeah, both Flight of the Red Balloon and Paranoid could be 2007. I actually saw Paranoid Park in 2007 here in theatres, but since it still hadn't gotten a wide release in the US I decided to put it this year.

Of your Top 5, I've only seen Synecdoche, and although it didn't work for me, I can see people loving it. Still have to track down the others, especially A Christmas Tale.

NIGHT AND DAY still isn't out in Korea yet on DVD, when it does I'd be willing to send you a copy.

that's cool that your a hong sang soo fan. i have to say i disagree with the 4 star rating you gave 'milk,' 'forgetting sarah marshall,' and 'the curious case of benjamin button.' those movies kinda blew.

Well, any movie in the 4 star range tend to be films I enjoyed and yet do not make any claims for greatness. I wrote about MILK already so won't go into that one again. BENJAMIN BUTTON is a tough one, very flawed and intellectually easy to dismiss, but the emotional tone and visual style worked on me. Many would agree with your assessment though. I really liked FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL, especially as an ideological corrective to the other Apatow films. Plus, I found it very funny. Not great cinema, by any means, but solid storytelling. But obviously, if you didn't like the sense of humour, it would "kinda blow".

i thought 'forgetting sarah marshall' was funny sometimes but not on par with 'knocked up' or 'superbad.' i've been disappointed with a lot of the newer stuff they made, including 'pineapple express' and 'role models.' but thinking back on it 'sarah marshall' wasn't all that bad. i didn't mean to say it blew.

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About Me

Associate Professor in the Department of Communications (Media/Journalism) at Kwangwoon University, Seoul, South Korea. My first book, HOLLYWOOD'S NEW YORKER: THE MAKING OF MARTIN SCORSESE, was published by SUNY Press in April 2013. I have published pieces in FILM HISTORY, JUMP CUT, CANADIAN JOURNAL OF FILM STUDIES, FILM CRITICISM, STYLE, NEW REVIEW OF FILM AND TELEVISION, and SENSES OF CINEMA. I graduated with my PhD in Cultural Mediations (Specialization: Visual Culture) in January 2009 from Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada. I taught in the Film Studies department at Carleton from 2003-2007 and in the International Language Center at Gachon University, Seongnam, South Korea, from 2008-2012.

Directions

Seoul Cinematheque and Film Forum: located near exit 5 of the subway sub Chongno-3(sam)-ga, which is located on lines number 1, 3 and 5, although access is quicker from line 5. It is not the easiest place to find, but if you keep straight after coming up the stairs of exit 5 and go under the overpass you should see film posters on your left. Go into the building and up to the 4th floor. You should see the box office outside.

Arthouse Momo: located in the Campus Complex of Ewha Women’s University, Line 2, Exit 2 or 3. Once you enter the main gate, the campus complex is up and then on your right. Enter through gate 3 of the complex and turn left, the theatre is down the hall. There are also maps at the gate to find the campus complex, and outside the campus complex in order to find the theatre.

Followers

Top Ten

1. Citizen Kane2. Vertigo3. Mean Streets4. Early Summer5. The Rules of the Game6. The Searchers7. Breathless8. Persona9. Satantango10. City of Sadness

Top Ten Documentaries

1. The Thin Blue Line2. Sans Soleil3. In the Year of the Pig4. The House is Black5. The Sorrow and the Pity6. Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media7. Crumb8. Hoop Dreams9. Brother's Keeper10. The Corporation

Top Ten by Decade

2010s

1. The Kid with a Bike2. A Separation3. Poetry4. The Tree of Life5. The Turin Horse6. This is Not a Film7. Oki's Movie8. All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace9. Like Someone in Love10. Blue Valentine2000s

1. Citizen Kane2. Double Indemnity3. The Third Man4. The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp5. The Magnificent Ambersons6. The Maltese Falcon7. Scarlet Street8. Notorious9. Letter From An Unknown Woman10. Casablanca

1930s

1. The Rules of the Game2. M3. Sisters of the Gion4. Le Crime de Monsieur Lange5. Trouble in Paradise6. It Happened One Night7. Only Angels Have Wings8. La Chienne9. Osaka Elegy10. The Public Enemy

1920s

1. The Passion of Joan of Arc2. The Man with the Movie Camera3. Un Chien Andalou4. The Last Laugh5. Greed6. The Battleship Potemkin7. Sunrise8. The Crowd9. Nosferatu10. The Marriage Circle

Yearly Top Tens (1988-2012)

2012

1. Moonrise Kingdom 2. Like Someone in Love3. Argo4. Caesar Must Die5. Mad Men Season 56. National Security7. Breaking Bad Season 5.18. In Another Country9. Girls Season 110. Louie Season 3

2011

1. The Kid with a Bike2. A Separation3. The Tree of Life4. The Turin Horse5. This is Not a Film6. All Watched Over By Machines of Loving Grace7. Margaret8. Martha Marcy May Marlene9. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy10. Louie Season 2

20091. The White Ribbon2. Face3. Lost in the Mountains4. Dogtooth5. About Elly6. Like You Know it All7. A Lake8. Up in the Air9. Inglourious Basterds10. Police Adjective

2008

1. The Class2. Night and Day3. Lorna's Silence4. 35 Shots of Rum5. The Visitor6. Wendy and Lucy7. Flight of the Red Balloon8. Happy-Go-Lucky9. Burn After Reading10. The Wrestler

2007

1. Secret Sunshine2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days3. No Country for Old Men4. There Will Be Blood5. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly6. The Trap: What Happened to Our Dreams of Freedom7. Terror's Advocate8. Taxi to the Dark Side9. Michael Clayton10. Gone Baby Gone